Branding

While reading over a semi-rant about what "branding" means for journalists by Matthew Ingram at gigaom, a pure nugget of the obvious:

In other words, what you say and how you behave in these networks determines what your personal brand is. As marketing types like to say, your brand isn’t what you think it is, it’s what others say about you. (The bold emphasis is mine)

Followers here know my feeling: Branding is what you do when you don't know who you are.

The line by Matthew Ingram is another expression of that -- you don't control your brand, but the way you act, the way you seek to be an expert in the areas of your ability -- that is what creates a "brand."